Worlds Apart (Companion Piece 6)
by Meamit
Summary: A companion piece for Just Between Us, which comes after Chapter 56. Rose and her summer guest have a serious conversation on the porch. *Conversation only, no description*


"Your house is growing on me, Rose. It's dreadfully cramped, of course, but there are _some_ redeeming qualities. This porch, for instance. The view is quite spectacular."

"I'm_ so_ glad it meets with your approval."

"Can't I compliment your living arrangements without getting my head taken off?"

"If only your compliments weren't always chased by a slight – or vice versa."

"Touchy, touchy. Small houses have their charm, that's all I'm saying. And at least your house is warm. The Manor gets dreadfully draughty in winter. Father often has to renew the insulation charms several times for them to take effect."

"Living by the sea makes it easier to heat this house, because it's always temperate here. And the weather can be especially lovely during these months, although I tend to freckle more than ever."

"I noticed that."

"Do you want to go for a swim today? I don't think I've ever seen a hair on your head out of place, so it should be entertaining!"

"Maybe later. I burn easily."

"Alright, how about after lunch? We can pop seaweed too, and collect mussels, if you like."

"Seaweed? Will there be seaweed in the water?"

"Of course, silly! It grows underwater, doesn't it? But it won't do you any harm; it's just a bit slimy."

"Maybe a walk to the village would be preferable…"

"Honestly, Scorpius! You've cut seaweed up for Potions before, why is this any different?"

"It just _is_. Rose…? What are they _doing_ down there?"

"Who…? Oh, my parents? Don't mind them, they're just being silly."

"But your mother is _screaming_."

"Whenever we go down to the beach, daddy always picks mum up and threatens to chuck her into the waves and she always pitches a fit and pretends to be terrified."

"But… why?"

"No idea. They wind each other up all the time and then laugh and kiss and generally embarrass us. Isn't that what parents normally do?"

"Not in my experience."

"Oh. Well, maybe mine are just exceptionally immature then!"

"Hmm. Do they always do that? Hang out of each other as though their lives depend on it?"

"All the time. Mum says they 'just sort of fit'… And you don't have to say it like that – it's not a bad thing."

"My father would say it's a weakness."

"Well it's not! If you love someone, you show it."

"There are perfectly appropriate ways to show love without doing _that_."

"Scorpius, I'm warning you. Let it go. They're happy and I like it."

"I'm not casting aspersions, Rose. Far from it. I just find their Gryffindor zeal… amusing."

"They can't help it, they're best friends. Wouldn't you be the same, if you married one of your favourite people?"

"I'm sure I'd be able to display affection without resorting to giddiness. My father has never picked my mother up and swung her around – at least, not to my knowledge – and they are very happily married."

"Your dad isn't as tall as my dad though, is he?"

"Height is not the issue! Adults who care for each other should demonstrate it with decorum."

"Is that what your parents do?"

"My father is a perfect gentleman. He makes sure my mother has tea waiting at her bedside every morning. He brings her back robes and jewels every time he goes away on business. He even commissioned a rose garden on the south lawn for her birthday. And she will never have to work; she and I will always be well provided for."

"Gosh, that's very extravagant. Well, except for the tea. My dad does the same for my mum. He says Granger women always get stroppy if they don't drink enough of it!"

"My father doesn't _make_ the tea, Rose. He _orders _it. What are house-elves for, if not to prepare meals?"

"Oh. Well… I think we have a very different understanding of romantic gestures."

"Obviously."

"And is there anything else about my parents that you find… odd?"

"I never used the word 'odd'."

"You didn't have to."

"It is – _surprising_ – to me that they would keep a large guest room unused for most of the year."

"Why wouldn't we have a guest room? You're making good use of it, aren't you?"

"Well, yes. But as a result, your parents are forced to share a room."

"Forced?"

"I suppose they're used to it by now, but –"

"They are not _forced _to share a room, they _want_ to share a room!"

"They can hardly want to, Rose. How do they get any privacy?"

"Why would they want time away from each other? They're married! The whole point of marriage is sharing your life with another person!"

"That can be interpreted in a number of ways. You can share your life with someone without having them pull the bedcovers off you every night for a century."

"Well, now you know how _I_ interpret it. I want a marriage like my parents', some day."

"And I, mine."

"Good!"

"Good."

"… What are we fighting about?"

"I don't know – the limitations of our upbringing?"

"Scorpius… how is it that we can see eye to eye on everything we do at Hogwarts, but nothing else?"

"It _is_ frustrating… But are you really surprised?"

"You're my best friend. I – I just wish our families weren't so different."

"My family are very serious about Pureblood traditions. It's not like yours, where you can choose any job, marry whomever you want, have a hundred children! I have to think of the Malfoy name."

"Would your parents make you marry someone you didn't love?"

"They wouldn't insist that I do anything, but they would strongly advise me if they thought I was making a mistake."

"And you'd listen to them?"

"Yes, I think so. I trust them. Mother is already considering who she thinks would be right for me."

"What? But… _who?_"

"Violet Rosier. Serena Selwyn. She has a list."

"But what if they were boring? Or brainless? Would you marry them for their surname alone?"

"No, but I don't think there's any harm in knowing what my parents think –"

"And what about that conversation on the train? Were you serious? Would you really expect your future wife to abandon a career in favour of marriage?"

"I didn't think you were in the carriage for that conversation."

"Answer the question, Scorpius!"

"Unless she had a unique skill that the Magical community could not find elsewhere… yes, I would. Why should a woman have to balance two jobs? It is her right to be taken care of, Rose. You should hear my father explain it, then you would understand."

"That's ridiculous! It's too much responsibility to place on a man. One person should not have to cope with financially supporting four, five, six other people!"

"Two other people."

"You would only have one child?"

"I don't know yet, but it's very likely."

"What if you had a daughter?"

"Daughters can inherit too, Rose. I'm not so close-minded that I'd only accept a son."

"I know that! But –"

"Look, I liked my childhood! I had my parents' undivided attention; I always felt happy and I always felt wanted. I'd like my child – boy or girl – to feel the same way."

"Keep your voice down! If my dad heard you talking about children, he'd probably throw you off a cliff."

"This is possibly the strangest conversation we've had yet."

"It definitely is. And to think, only last week I spent most of Alex and Ben's stay talking about Quidditch strategy!"

"We're not very good at keeping things light-hearted, are we?"

"I don't know why it matters to me so much, that you don't see things the way I do. I know that everyone is allowed to have their own approach to life, but…"

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No."

"Do you want me to pretend I didn't mean any of it?"

"Not if it's a lie."

"What do you want me to say, Rose?"

"I want you to say that we're not even fifteen yet, so this is a stupid conversation to be having and we should just forget all about it!"

"Alright. This is a stupid conversation to have, since we're not even fifteen yet, so lets just forget all about it."

"I won't forget though."

"I know you won't... How about this; you can veto any fiancées of mine who don't come up to scratch and nominate alternatives, alright?"

"Agreed. But how will we _ever_ find a woman worthy enough?"

"I think you're equal to the challenge."


End file.
